More men are taking paid paternity leave in states that offer the benefit, according to a new study from advocacy group Paid Leave for All. The study, reported by Axios, spotlights a significant shift in parenting dynamics across the United States.
The Paid Leave for All study revealed that moms and dads are, at long last, nearly equal in terms of utilizing these benefits when they are available. The study looked at the share of both men and women taking advantage of paid family leave policies in the 10 states where they are already up and running. (While there is a long way to go until all 50 states offer paid parental leave, currently 13 states, including Washington D.C., offer family leave policies. Some of these states have laws on the books, but the programs aren’t yet paying benefits.)
In 8 of the 10 states currently offering leave policies, men accounted for at least 40 percent of family leave taken or applied for, according to the last full reporting year. In 2024, Washington state saw more fathers than mothers making family leave claims at 55 percent, while in Colorado it was essentially evenly split between men and women. Compare that to when California became the first state to enact paid parental leave in 2005: only 18 percent of those utilizing the benefit were new dads — and today, it’s up to 44 percent. (These numbers don’t take into account medical leave for moms giving birth, which is tracked separately.)
Why paternity leave matters
We know that paternity leave is just as valuable to the family dynamic as maternity leave — taking time off to bond with a newborn or newly adopted child offers numerous benefits for both parents. What’s more, research shows that paternity leave has a positive impact on women in the workplace while providing healthy benefits for men, women, and children — including reduced infant mortality rates.
Even though there are many upsides to paternity leave, the stigma surrounding men taking leave to bond with their children still persists. What’s more, we still have plenty of work to do when it comes to all parents having access to paid family leave — two-thirds of US parents currently reside in a state that does not offer a paid family and medical leave program. But as more states push towards implementing paid leave policies and more dads take advantage of them, we’ll hopefully see a real trend toward moms and dads sharing the parenting load more evenly in American families.
